2013 Lexus GS 450h review notes: Smoother and a bit more exciting

2 of 5The 2013 Lexus GS 450h is a significant improvement over its predecessor. The smoother powertrain stood out in particular.

Photo by Lexus

3 of 5At times, the ride of the 2013 Lexus GS 450h felt heavy--likely because, as a hybrid, the car was packing some additional weight.

Photo by Lexus

4 of 5The quiet cabin of the 2013 Lexus GS 450h is certainly a pleasant place to be. Bamboo trim earned high marks.

Photo by Lexus

5 of 5The Lexus hybrid drive on the 2013 GS 450h supplies a respectable amount of power--but the complexity and cost make other efficient luxury options attractive.

Photo by Lexus

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I will admit I didn't think I'd like this 2013 Lexus GS 450h much. I was not a fan of the outgoing GS, so maybe I had a bad attitude about this one. I thought, and have written, that I always thought of the GS as the runt of the Lexus litter. I was pleasantly surprised by this car. It looks really good to my eye and the interior—whoa! It's very nice. Beautiful materials and well assembled. Love the finish on the wood and the soft materials everywhere one touches—nicely done.

Driving: There is still the slightest jerkiness in the drivetrain under braking and accelerating, but not nearly as much as I remember in the old GS. This is a much smoother powertrain. And the car will get up and go when you want it to, yet cruises smoothly and quietly. There's far less of the on/off feeling I remember from older Lexus hybrid powertrains. It's a big step forward.

The ride can get choppy at times. You often have the sense you're carrying around some extra weight, which of course you are. At one point I heard a loud metal on metal noise coming from under the car over expansion joints and such. Like a heat shield or something. I remember hearing the same thing in an LS model, too, a while back.

Overall, the new GS is a huge improvement. However, and it's a big however, the $68,000 as-tested price is high. And the base price is almost $60,000? Really? Someone at Lexus would need to do a heck of sales job on me to convince me why I wouldn't pay something like $8,000 less (base price to base price) for a Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec diesel sedan.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: This rig seemed like a nice, well-mannered hybrid for my commute home with the car set to its “normal” dynamics. But on the return trip to the office, I summoned its inner hooligan. Devilish? No, but it can bring some attitude. That was exemplified early one morning as I began my dim commute under grey skies. The light turned yellow. I pulled a hard right onto a two-lane open road, knifing ahead of a bright red Mustang. I hit the throttle, expecting my rear-wheel machine to fling out from the tail; it did not. But the tach rose, and with the revs between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm and my speed approaching 60 mph, I made short work of that slower moving pony car. Not that they were trying, but still, not bad for a two-ton hybrid.

This was all in sport mode. The engine had a bit of anger to it, which is perhaps not surprising, considering there's 338 horses from this system. The regenerative brakes felt heavy to me, though they offered immediate response. The chassis was comfortable most of the time with a good deal of sporting demeanor. The steering can feel light at times, but there's requisite weight at highway speeds.

The cabin is a pleasant setting. I loved the bamboo trim, and the seats are supportive though almost too stiff. Maybe it was my seating position. On a wet, airy morning, there was a decent amount of noise filtering in, more than one might think for a Lexus. I really liked the analogue knobs, which had a responsive feel like some sort of old music box. I like the new exterior design. There are three circular bulbs in the headlights, which tastefully and handsomely front this thing with chutzpah. The grille is angular and a little weird, but it generally works. The sedan is well-proportioned and comes across as elegant.

So in general, from the looks to the technology—there's a lot going on here. For my money, I'd keep it simple and go with a German diesel.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: I was pleasantly surprised by this 2013 Lexus GS 450h. I like the looks with some details from the LFA incorporated into the front, which gives the car an aggressive look. And the interior is Lexus comfortable. And it's quiet—very quiet, especially when cruising in EV mode. The regenerative brakes are the biggest disappointment. They work, and work really well. It's just the odd feel that they have that is disappointing.

The drivetrain is super smooth, alternating between gas and electric power, with the electric power coming in to add a bunch of thrust when needed.

With a bunch of highway driving, the powertrain returned nearly 34 mpg, which is right on the EPA number. I've said this before, if I were going for a green car, I'd look at a diesel that's less complicated and more straightforward. And like Wes said, for substantially less money you could get a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz E-class.